“Poland? What would we be doing there?”
I can honestly say that Poland was not on my “places-I-want-to-visit”-List. But a friend of mine had been on Erasmus there and convinced me to travel the country by train. It turned out to be an amazing experience. Poland has a lot of variety: mountains, beaches, forests, cities and an incredible history.
And next to all of that, Poland is CHEAP! So cheap that we ate out 3 times a day – no cooking necessary! The currency is zloti. 1 euro is about 4 zloti and the average price for a meal is 16 zloti – 4 euros!
At first we wanted to buy an Interrail ticket, but then we found out it would be even cheaper to buy the train tickets there.
Polish people are reserved, but very helpful & nice once you talk to them!
Itinerary: Warsaw – Bialystok – Gdansk – Sopot – Malbork – Zakopane – Krakow/Auschwitz
Duration: 10 days
Budget: € 400 (incl. flights)
Time: september 2013
Day 1 – Warschau
The old town is very charming, but if you’re looking for an esthetically beautiful city, this is not the place to be. Big, grey buildings are reminders of the communist past. However, you shouldn’t skip Warschau – it’s Poland’s capital city.
The first thing to visit is definitely the old town with its colorful square and many cafes and restaurants.
Day 2 – Warschau & Bialystok
Another place we went is the palace of culture & science (formerly called the “joseph stalin palace”). It is an impressive building and the view from the top is worth it.
A little outside of the city center is the Russian Market, where you can get everything super cheap.
And finally, you should definitely visit the Warsaw Rising Museum: “The Museum is a tribute of Warsaw’s residents to those who fought and died for independent Poland and its free capital.”
In the afternoon we took the train to Bialystok (4h) & stayed at Hostel Podlasie – great hostel, but very VERY thin mattresses & not easy to find. Would still recommend it though.
Day 3 – Bialowieza
Bialowieza National Park is located about 2.5h by bus from Bialystok. It’s the only primary forest left in Europe and the only place where you can still find the European Bison in the wild. The primary forest can only be visited with a guide – which we didn’t know, so in the end we just walked through the forest around. Make sure to ask for a guide before you get there!
How to get to the park? The best thing is to ask at the hostel where the busses are leaving, because – unfortunately – I forgot. Tell the driver that you want to visit the park and the Bison Reserve t & he will drop you off at the bus stop next to the entrance of the European Bison reserve (Reservat Zubrow). Here you can see animals such as the bison & wild horse who are being taken care of.
Day 4 – Bialystok & Gdansk
On our final day in Bialystok we walked around the city. There are a lot of beautiful buildings (the red church, the palace), a nice park & amazing places to eat on the main square of the town.
Then we took a train (6h) to Gdansk – the view from the train is incredible!
We stayed at the “3city hostel”, which was super close to the train station & city a very clean – but not recommendable if you’re claustrophobic because of how the beds are made 🙂
Day 5 – Gdansk & Sopot
Gdansk is definitely one of the most beautiful cities I’ve been to. But at the same time also the smallest – by lunch time we had seen the whole city.. 2 times. We went to the Museum of Amber or the “Muzeum Bursztynu. Odział Muzeum Historycznego Miasta Gdańska” – which I can absolutely recommend: amber is found a lot near the coast & they make amazing jewelries with it. We also went to the “National Maritime Museum” – I liked it, but it’s maybe not for everyone. So in the afternoon we took the train to Sopot – a 20min-ride to a “beach city”. There are lots of restaurants & it’s nice to just walk around and sit on the beach.
Day 6 – Malbork
From Gdansk it’s a 1h-train ride to the town & castle of Malbork (Slot Mariënburg) (see picture above). It is the most impressive castle I have ever seen in.my.life. Definitely go there. It’s almost completely restaurated and you really get the feeling you have been time traveling.
This castle was of the most important in Poland’s/Prussian history – also get a guide, the explanation is very good & it’s not that expensive.
In the evening we got on the night train to Zakopane – which was an adventure by itself.
I can’t say that it’s extremely comfortable – you sleep with 6 people in a cabin, 3 beds over each other & you can not sit upright – but I liked it! I slept through the whole night and it was probably one of the coolest thing we had done so far.
Day 7 – Zakopane
From the coast to the Mountains – in the morning we arrived at Zakopane – a cute (but touristy) village in the impressive Tatra mountains. It kinda feels like being in the German alps. Our hostel, called Stara Polana, was absolutely amazing. Spacious rooms, breakfast is provided & everything’s decorated in mountain-village-style. We were tired from arriving that early & there was a storm, so we just visited the village & read a book at the hostel.
Day 8 – Zakopane
On our second day to Zakopane, we hiked to “Morskie Oko” – a green-blue lake in the middle of the high mountains. It’s an absolutely stunning sight & the hike through the forest is really nice. However it’s extremely touristy – the way there is an asphalt road and you’re surrounded by a lot of people the whole time. The hike takes about -1.5 up & 1h back.
Day 9 – Krakow & Auschwitz
A 2 hour train ride took us to Krakow – Poland’s most beautiful city. The weather was amazing – which made it even better – the food is to die for & there is lots to do. The first day I took a bus to Auschwitz (ca 2h). I was lucky it was a sunny day, because I felt sick the whole time I was there – and it was NOT because I’d eaten something bad. The place leaves an impression. It’s a 3 hour visit with a movie & a guide. People were crying.
Day 10 – Krakow
On our last day we explored Krakow some more and visited the museum “Oskar Schindler Factory Museum”. Definitely worth a visit.
Then we flew back from Krakow to Belgium.
